West Belleville franchise restaurant known for burgers, wings to close after 15 years
After 15 years in Belleville, Jefferson’s Restaurant has announced that it will soon close. But the family owners say the space may not be vacant long.
Jefferson’s opened in 2006 at 6980 W. Main St. in Belleville. The franchise restaurant’s last day of business will be Tuesday, according to the Grindstaff family’s announcement published online Thursday.
The announcement also stated that a member of the family, Jim Grindstaff, hopes to open a new restaurant at the location, pending an application process for licenses to operate.
Jim Grindstaff co-owned Jefferson’s until July 2020, when his mother and brother took over. At the same time, he took sole ownership of the family’s other restaurant, Jack Nolen’s in Soulard.
Grindstaff said in an interview Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic hurt Jefferson’s business and that his mom wanted to retire, so they made the decision to close the franchise about a week ago.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time in west Belleville and getting to know all of you helped make the last 15 years enjoyable,” their closure announcement stated. “We tried our best to get through this past year and a half, but the time has come to close our doors.”
The Belleville Jefferson’s was the last location in Illinois after the Mascoutah franchise closed. There are 30 other Jefferson’s locations across five states, including in western Missouri and in Tennessee, according to the company’s website. Their menus feature wings, burgers and oysters, and they hang dollar bills decorated by their customers from their walls and ceilings.
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
